How University Transportation Work Can Contribute to California Greenhouse Gas Goals Nic Lutsey Institute of Transportation Studies University of California at Davis UC/CSU/CC Sustainability Conference Transportation Track August 2, 2008

2 Outline Background –Greenhouse (GHG) emission goals –Transportation and GHG emissions –California GHG mitigation policies GHG mitigation tools –Vehicles technology –Alterative fuel technology –Travel (VMT) reduction strategies Role of universities and colleges –Complying with GHG regulations –Demonstrate, quantify next steps for GHG goals

August 2, Background: Transportation GHG emissions Vehicle technologyFuel GHG intensityTravel behavior

August 2, Background: GHG Mitigation Policy Vehicle policy –GHG regulation for vehicles (Pavley, AB 1493 in 2002) 30% CO 2 reduction in average passenger vehicles by 2016 Second stage (“Pavley II”) being developed now –Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV): 58,000 by 2014 Zero-emission vehicles (full electric, hydrogen): 7,500 by 2014 Alternative fuels policy –Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) 10% reduction in average fuel carbon intensity for all transportation fuels by 2020 (in development) –ZEV Mandate Promote the transportation energy sources with much lower GHG emissions Travel (VMT) reduction policy –Best practices for local plans, developments, etc. –Guidelines from office of the Attorney General

August 2, Vehicle Technology Options Conventional vehicle technologies –Engines (gasoline direct injection, variable displacement) –Transmissions (5 and 6-speed auto, continuously variable) –Body, road load reduction (light-weighting, aero, rolling) –Other areas: accessories, air conditioning HFC Advanced drivetrain technology –Electrified drivetrain Hybrid gas-electric Plug-in hybrid gas-electric Full battery electric –Fuel cell electric (hydrogen or other fuel)

August 2, Alternative Fuel Options –Fuel mixing for conventional engines Ethanol (up to 10% in gasoline, or 85% in “flex fuel”) Biodiesel (up to 15% in diesel, or greater with minor vehicle modifications –Alternative fuels for modified engines Compressed natural gas (CNG) Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) –Lower-GHG alternative fuels Biofuels from agricultural residue, waste, dedicated energy crops Electricity, hydrogen – from various primary energy sources

August 2, Travel Behavior Options Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) –Traffic signal control –Electronic toll collection –Bus rapid transit –Traveler information Mobility management strategies –Park-and-ride facilities –Employee parking “cash out” –Smart growth –Telecommuting –Carpooling –Integrated regional smart cards –Low-speed modes

August 2, Transportation GHG Reduction How can we achieve our 2020 GHG emission goal? 1990 level of GHG emissions by 2020

August 2, Transportation GHG Reduction How can we achieve an 80% reduction by 2050? ? ? ?

August 2, Role of Colleges and Universities? Current issues in California climate change mitigation planning –Vehicles and fuels How far can technologies get us toward 2020 goals? 2050 goals? How can the ZEV mandate for vehicles work toward longer term goals? Can California grow low-GHG biofuels? Which near-zero GHG technologies are most feasible? Cost-effective? Most popular? –Travel demand measures How much can VMT measures contribute to city-wide goals? And state- wide GHG goals? Which VMT measures are most cost-effective? Most popular? Can we develop reliable metrics for planners and policy makers to evaluate these policies? These are all questions that higher education can help answer

August 2, Role of Colleges and Universities? Strengths of California colleges and universities related to climate change mitigation planning –Local planning context –Expertise – engineering, behavioral, economics –Creative problem-solving (undergraduate projects, graduate research) –Experimental test-bed and showcase for technologies and practices –Non-partisan bridge between stakeholders (industry, government, and envir. groups)

August 2, Role of Colleges and Universities? Examples for contributions –Vehicle research (vehicle competitions, partnerships with industry)  Example: Pioneering research, demonstration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell technology at UC-Davis –Alternative fuels vehicle testing  Examples: campus, city fleets of hydrogen, electric cars, buses –Study travel-related behavioral change on and off campus  Example: survey campus employees, students on travel decisions –Work with under-staffed and cities and counties  Example: UC-Davis team works with Yolo County on “Cool County” commitment to bridge gap between technology research and practice –Routinely place students as interns with governments, organizations, and innovative companies in public policy-related positions  Example: work with CARB, CEC, utilities on current issues

August 2, Role of Colleges and Universities? Shorter term GHG goals (through 2020) –Meet and exceed existing California policy –Aid ongoing local and state efforts to reduce GHG emissions Long-term GHG goals ( ) –Identify deeper-reduction GHG mitigation actions –Demonstrate Near-zero GHG transportation technologies Best practices in transportation planning –Quantify and validate impacts Costs, GHG reductions Establish metrics that can be used by planners, policy- makers

August 2, Conclusions California has established ambitious targets for GHG reductions in future years –Many issues lie ahead for policy makers, industry, and local planners in implementing state GHG regulations through 2020 –The challenges of achieving 2050 GHG reduction targets are daunting, requiring prolonged efforts and better understanding of VMT reduction measures and near-zero GHG technologies. What is the role of California colleges and universities? –Demonstrate and validate cutting-edge GHG mitigation strategies –Utilize college/university strengths for work on the long-term climate mitigation issues –Make advances in break-through technologies and strategies to effect much larger changes –Continue to seek out answers to the critical research questions –Support current efforts in rule-making and implementation of near-term GHG reduction strategies for cities, regions, state

August 2, Conclusions Questions? Contact